@article{icrisat11555,
           month = {May},
           title = {Why agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa remains low compared to the rest of the world ? a historical perspective},
       publisher = {Routledge},
          author = {V Bjornlund and H Bjornlund and A F Van Rooyen},
           pages = {1--34},
            year = {2020},
            note = {We received important support in writing this article from Ms Karen Parry in structural and copy
editing. The article was produced in the context of the project Transforming Smallholder Irrigation
into Profitable and Self-Sustaining Systems in Southern Africa, funded by the Australian Centre for
International Agricultural Research and by CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and
Ecosystems, with support from CGIAR Fund Donors.},
         journal = {International Journal of Water Resources Development (TSI)},
        keywords = {Agricultural production, Sub-Saharan Africa, Historical perspective, Resource extraction, Food security, Economic development},
             url = {http://oar.icrisat.org/11555/},
        abstract = {Agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa has, in recent times, remained lower than the rest of the world. Many attribute this to factors inherent to Africa and its people, such as climate, soil
quality, slavery and disease. This article traces the role of agriculture through history and argues that these are not the main reasons. Before the arrival of European traders, complex agricultural systems existed, which supported food security, manufacturing and trade.
External interference manipulated these systems in pursuit of export crops. Independence has not fundamentally changed this; resource and wealth extraction continue to inhibit economic development for Africans in Africa.}
}